South Africa

Mass evacuation, power outages as blaze rages on Cape coastline

Residents of Franskraal near Gansbaai on the Cape south coastline have been ordered to evacuate after a wildfire roared out of control on Friday, fanned by gusting winds.

The Overstrand Municipality issued an emergency evacuation order as the fire raged, with authorities designating the Gansbaai Tourism Office Hall the emergency evacuation point.

The order by the municipality's fire & disaster management department declared: "This message is for your safety. You are to immediately evacuate your home."

A wildfire in the Karwyderskraal area also saw evacuation ordered for farms in the Hemel en Aarde Valley area.

There have also been reports of power outages and several structures have been damaged.

A number of road closures have affected the flow of traffic. The R44 has just opened and there is now access between Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond. There is no access between Gansbaai and Franskraal on R43. Mountain Drive and Magnolia Road, Hemel-en-Aarde Road and Karwyderskraal have been closed as a result of the blaze.